AI For Revisions

Overview

The revising stage of the writing process--one of the last steps before you submit a paper--can be a great place to utilize the power of generative AI tools to help you develop and hone critical proofreading and editing skills. From having AI chatbots assist with you grammar to having them generate explanations and examples of difficult writing concepts, there are lots of possibilities when it comes to using AI to aid you with revisions. However, it's important to remember that AI is just one tool that can be utilized in this process, and your learning and results will depend on how you use them in tandem with other strategies at your disposal.

While the AI Writer Toolbox can help you learn more about applications of AI in writing, it's important to remember that faculty will have different policies about the use of AI in the classroom. If you are ever in doubt about acceptable applications of AI tools in a specific class, the best thing to do is ask your instructor.

AI for Revisions

Correcting MistakES & Practicing Grammar

One way to have AI help with revising your paper is to use it as a companion to understand and improve writing issues like grammar. As seen in the example on the right, you might type in a sentence you are unsure about and then ask the chatbot if it is correct and to provide an explanation and correction if it is not.

Proofreading Skills

AI presents a great opportunity to practice your editing and proofreading skills! Check out this exercise developed by Harvard University faculty, designed to utilize AI to develop and improve critical proofreading skills.

Using AI Proofreaders

AI proofreaders like Grammarly and other built-in spellcheckers are popular among students, and for good reason. Their high accuracy rates in correcting misspelled words and incorrect grammar have made them indispensible to students of all levels--it's almost second nature to run papers through spellcheck at this point.

Knowing how helpful these AI proofreaders can be, there is definitely an upside to using them. But are there any pitfalls? Remember that

they can't catch everything.
they tends to be more helpful if you already have a good grasp of academic English conventions.
they can make mistakes.

WHAT AI CAN'T DO WELL

This AI-generated image was obtained from Adobe Stock Images.

As we saw in the example above, there are plenty of good ways to use AI to help you revise and proofread your work. However, like with all uses of AI, there are pitfalls to watch for when using it for revision as well. The blurbs below are examples of some of the things that AI-powered tools like Grammarly often miss.

Spelling Errors

Beware of spelling errors! Though AI spell checkers such as Grammarly will catch most spelling mistakes, they often miss certain words that may be spelled right but are being used in the wrong place (e.g., there vs. their). If you've ever tried using an image generator like Dall-E, you'll have seen that these platforms are terrible at spelling. Having a second pair of human eyes to read over your work with you is a good way to cover all your bases.

Slang and Jargon

Always remember that AI is only as good as the data on which it is trained. When writing more casually, or when writing about a newer topic or idea, it's entirely possible that AI won't recognize the use of certain terms or words and may mark them as incorrect. It's up to you to make sure that AI grammar and spell checkers don't correct something they shouldn't.

Connotations

One thing that AI spelling and grammar checkers usually won't catch is a word that might be correct, but has a negative or inappropriate implication (e.g., cheap vs. inexpensive). While two words may have the same basic meaning, one could have a negative connotation, while the other is neutral. If you're not familiar with connotations, it's best to work with a peer or teacher to ensure that your writing is not conveying something that you didn't intend.

This AI-generated image was obtained from Adobe Stock Images.

Alternatives to AI

There are many other tried and tested ways to revise your paper and get the help you need. AI can be a good first step, but it won't catch everything; and since you are close to your own writing, it's easier to overlook issues with clarity and coherence. Check out the blurbs below for a few of the different ways that you can gain feedback and revise your papers and assignments.

Visit the Writing Center

At any time during your writing process--including the revisions phase--you can seek help from a tutor. The SJSU Writing Center is here to assist you from first thought to final draft. We do not edit papers, but we provide so much more! The resources below are the main resources we offer to SJSU students. From a quick question to an intensive one-on-one session, we are here to help.

Writing Center Resources

Read Your Work Aloud

Here at the Writing Center, we have students read their papers aloud because hearing it can often help them identify mistakes. However, you don't need to be working with a tutor to read your paper aloud--it's a good strategy to use on your own as you are editing and proofreading your work. Here are some resources on how you can read your paper aloud.

External Resources

Engage in a Peer Review

Getting a second or third perspective can help you improve your writing. As you proofread and edit your paper, your ideas are clear to you. So, getting a peer who has not read your paper before can give you a different perspective. Try to do a peer review as described in the resources here.

External Resources

Ethical Considerations & Academic Integrity

It's essential to remember that in order to effectively use AI for revisions, you need a base knowledge of academic writing conventions, especially when dealing with response evaluation. This is more important than ever when using AI to help revise your writing--without that base knowledge, you won't be able to spot a good revision from a potentially incorrect one. Therefore, it's important to be mindful of if, when, and how you use AI to assist in your work. If you are ever in doubt about acceptable applications of AI tools (including platforms like Grammarly) in a specific class, the best thing to do is ask your instructor.

See the AI Ethics page to learn more about the ethical implications of using AI.

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